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Seeking more data regarding new takes on fast food, McDonald’s
hopes to expand its ‘build-your-own-burger’ experiment this year.

The build-your-own-burger concept first appeared at a McDonald’s
in California last year. The location that currently offers the
customization option, a restaurant in Laguna Niguel, offers the
option of using tablets to craft an individualized burger
alongside the traditional menu.

Reports from the Laguna Niguel location
reveal a swankier McDonald’s that is less an adoption of
Burger King’s “Have it your way” motto and more similar to
upscale
burger chains such as Bareburger and b.good. The newly
redesigned restaurant featured iPads that allow customers to
choose from two kinds of buns, multiple cheese options and
extensive toppings including guacamole and chili lime tortilla
strips. The resulting burger costs around $8 or $9 – near
Chipotle’s price range, but significantly more expensive than
the average McDonald’s offering. Whether customized burgers
will slow down the fast-food chain's processes also remains a
question.

“We don’t have details on an expansion at this time, but we do
know that we would like to obtain more information than what one
restaurant can provide,” says McDonald’s spokesperson Lisa
McComb. So, while it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to build your
own burger at a McDonald’s around the corner, expect information
from this test to affect your Big Mac in coming months.

The test run for the build-your-own-burger concept goes hand in hand with McDonald’s attempt to
change the perception that customers can’t customize their
orders. The chain is rolling out new prep tables, built to
accommodate more toppings and dressings than McDonald’s
currently offers.